Tag: grammys

Watch ELLE Magazine’s Exclusive Livestream of the 2024 Spotify Best New Artist Party Here

February 1, 2024

Our eighth annual celebration of the year’s Best New Artist nominees has arrived, and we’re pulling out all the stops for the week’s hottest pre-show party. This year, we’re at Paramount Studios in Hollywood to toast the group of rising artists—Gracie Abrams, Fred again.., Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan, Victoria Monét, and The War and Treaty—with live performances, special DJ sets, and more. 

And to give fans inside access to this year’s festivities, we’ve partnered with ELLE Magazine to exclusively livestream the evening’s red carpet for the first time ever. 

Join ELLE’s host Tefi, content creator and comedian, for a live breakdown of the hottest celebrity red carpet looks and behind-the-scenes interviews that offer a glimpse into the lives of this year’s nominees.

 

The livestream has wrapped. Thanks for joining!

Be sure to check Spotify News and For The Record for more coverage of the night’s proceedings—complete with behind-the-scenes footage and photos—and follow ELLE Magazine on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for more exclusive coverage from the event.

Get to know this year’s talented nominees by hitting play on our Best New Artist playlist below.

Best New Artist 2024: Everything You Need To Know About This Year’s Nominees

January 31, 2024

Over the last eight years, Spotify has honored the top rising stars in the music world with an annual celebration recognizing their accomplishments in landing a nomination for Best New Artist. 

We’ve remained committed to supporting emerging artists across all genres, helping them to launch their careers, and connect with fans all over the world. And that continues with this year’s eight nominees—Gracie Abrams, Fred again.., Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan, Victoria Monét, and The War and Treaty—representing a wide-ranging spectrum of sounds, voices, genres, and backgrounds that have caught the ears of listeners everywhere. 

To celebrate this diverse group of talent ahead of their biggest night yet, we hosted the week’s hottest pre-show party at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Featuring live performances from the nominees and special DJ sets from Ladies of Leisure and HoneyLuv, the party produced many standout moments. Noah Kahan and Gracie Abrams performed “Everywhere, Everything” together on stage, while Jelly Roll invited Lainey Wilson to the stage to perform “Save Me.” 

Spotify’s Guide to the Best New Artists of 2023

February 3, 2023

Spotify Best New Artist Party in LA

Photo credit: Getty for Spotify

For the past seven years, Spotify has played host to an annual celebration of the very best rising stars in the game who’ve realized their dreams of receiving a coveted and well-earned nomination for Best New Artist. 

As a pioneer in music discovery and growth, we’ve long been committed to supporting emerging artists across all genres and sounds—from Latin and R&B to indie rock and pop—helping them amplify their stories and connect with new fans across the globe. This year’s 10 Best New Artist nominees—Anitta, Omar Apollo, DOMi & JD BECK, Muni Long, Samara Joy, Latto, Måneskin, Tobe Nwigwe, Molly Tuttle, and Wet Leg—reflect a diverse, genre-spanning group of artists whose singular voices and styles have captivated listeners all over the globe. 

And they all gathered last night at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood for some time on the red carpet, a bit of wining and dining, and an unforgettable evening celebrating the nominees’ global achievements in music. The evening featured breakthrough live music performances from all of this year’s dynamic contenders in the category, along with a special DJ set from CoCo & Breezy and a surprise set from DJ Pee .Wee, aka Anderson .Paak.

Spotify Predicts the Latin Grammys Nominees Who Could Win Big in 2022

November 15, 2022

On Thursday night, the Latin Grammys will make its return to Las Vegas to celebrate the artists and industry professionals who make Latin Music the global sensation it is today. With more than 50% of Spotify listeners streaming at least one Latin song per month—amounting to approximately 215 million users globally—this annual awards show features many of the most-streamed artists on the platform.

Leading the pack of nominees is Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2020 and 2021, Bad Bunny, who has earned 10 Latin Grammy nominations on the back of his blockbuster album Un Verano Sin Ti. Rauw Alejandro and ROSALÍA have each been nominated in eight categories this year, and Christina Aguilera, Jorge Drexler, and Tainy follow closely with seven nominations each.  

When it comes to the big four awards—Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Artist of the Year—the competition is fierce. Any of the nominees could take home the coveted gilded gramophone. But we have a few predictions for who will nab the top awards this year. 

Record of the Year

Often confused with Song of the Year, Record of the Year honors the performing artist on the song as well as the producers, sound engineer, master engineer, and sound mixers. Among those nominated, Spotify data suggests that it’s going to be a close call between Bad Bunny’s “Ojitos Lindos,” KAROL G’s “PROVENZA,” and Anitta’s “Envolver,” all of which have generated millions of streams.

Album of the Year

It’s been a big year for both ROSALÍA and Bad Bunny, who are two of the hottest Latin artists of this generation and our favorites to take home this major achievement.

ROSALÍA’s album MOTOMAMI has been loved by fans across the world, but especially in cities like Mexico City, Santiago, and Madrid. With its futuristic visuals and catchy, genre-bending sounds, fans couldn’t get enough of her music (and even showed their support by getting “tattooed” at our album release event in March).

Meanwhile, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti has held the top spot on Spotify’s USA Chart for over 20 weeks. And the artist known as “El Conejo Malo” stayed true to his Puerto Rican roots, tapping a mix of rising and legendary acts from his home country to feature on his fifth album. This also marks Bad Bunny’s fourth nomination in this category. 

Song of the Year 

If Spotify streams are any indication, the winner for Song of the Year will come down to two widely loved tracks: KAROL G’s “PROVENZA” and Camilo’s “Indigo.” 

In 2021, KAROL G was Spotify’s most-streamed female artist globally. She currently sits among the top 50 most-streamed artists with more than 37 million monthly listeners. Inspired by the Provenza neighborhood in her hometown of Medellin, “PROVENZA” is nominated in multiple categories this year.

Also hailing from Medellin, Camilo is one of the most influential Latin artists, with five Latin Grammys to his name. And when it’s all said and done, it’s possible “Indigo”—a track about the birth of his daughter that also features his wife Evaluna Montaner—will earn him a sixth award. 

Best New Artist

With 10 nominees in the running, this category is packed with talent. But looking at our data, we think there are three artists in particular who could take home this award. 

Yahritza y Su Esencia have experienced a meteoric rise in 2022. Based out of Washington’s Yakima Valley, their unique brand of Mexican music has attracted nearly 4 million monthly Spotify listeners. 

Pol Granch also had a breakthrough 2022, reaching 6 million monthly listeners made up of fans from Spain, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru.

Silvana Estrada is the young Mexican singer-songwriter who was among the first artists featured on Spotify’s RADAR playlist when it launched in 2020. Her signature voice and emotional lyrics take listeners through feelings of love lost and found, sadness, and anguish.

RADAR artists continue to make an impact

Since the launch of our RADAR program in 2020, more than 50 Latin artists have been featured across our playlists. And over the last 12 months, these artists have collectively generated more than 2.5 billion streams and attracted more than 25 million followers.

But even more impressive, a number of Latin artists featured on RADAR have worked on some of the biggest tracks of the year, and their contributions are being recognized at the Latin Grammys. 

In addition to her nod for Best New Artist, Silvana Estrada’s album Marchita is up for Best Singer-Songwriter album award.

Ovy On The Drums, who was first featured on RADAR Andinos in 2020, is also nominated across several categories as a producer and songwriter. This includes Record of the Year (KAROL G’s “PROVENZA” and Sebastian Yatra’s “DHARMA”), Song of the Year (“PROVENZA”), and Best Urban Song (“DHARMA” and Becky G and KAROL G’s “MAMIII”).

And rounding out this list are Maria Becerra—whose album Animal is nominated for Best Urban Music Album—and Trueno—whose song “Dance Crip” is nominated for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song. 

Along with these four artists, there are eight other RADAR artists who have been nominated for Latin Grammys in previous years: GIULIA BE, Lasso, Boza, Humbe, Covi Quintana, Los Dos Carnales, Nathy Peluso, and LOUTA.

The party kicks off at Casa Spotify

Given that Latin music streams on Spotify have grown more than 1,000% over the last seven years, November 17 is sure to be a big night. And that’s why we’re also hosting our Casa Spotify experience in Las Vegas.

Open today and tomorrow, Casa Spotify celebrates the achievements of the nominees and those who have pushed Latin music forward. It will also serve as an oasis for invited guests to network and collaborate, with a private room for listening sessions and meetings, a content capture studio, and additional photo-worthy areas throughout the space.

We’ll be sharing more from Casa Spotify as the week unfolds, so stay tuned and check back for the latest happenings. 

Looking for more of the hottest tracks from top Latin artists? Press play on our flagship playlist, Viva Latino:

 

Get Ready for the 2022 GRAMMYs With Spotify Singles From the Best New Artist Nominees

April 1, 2022

A gilded gramophone is a coveted item among many musicians, whether they’re an up-and-coming artist or a legendary rock star. And with the 64th annual GRAMMY Awards show taking place Sunday, April 3rd, nominees across 86 categories will be anxiously waiting to hear if that gramophone is meant for them.

As is tradition, Spotify is celebrating the rising talent nominated for the Best New Artist award—and this year, we’re doing it with a special edition of our Spotify Singles program. We collaborated with six of the 10 nominees for Best New Artist to bring exclusive new music to the platform for fans to enjoy. Each singer took to the studio to record two new tracks: a reimagined version of one of their own hits and a cover of a song that serves as a tribute to a past Best New Artist nominee. Gear up for the awards show by giving these tracks a listen.

For his contribution to this new batch of Spotify Singles, singer-songwriter and producer FINNEAS created the first-ever recordings from Spotify’s new Los Angeles–based studio. “I was honored to finally be able to get into the brand-new and beautiful Spotify Studios to record these songs in these special arrangements,” said the LA native. In the reimagined version of his track “Medieval,” FINNEAS offers up an intimate, piano-driven ballad that lets his strong vocals remain front and center. He also used this opportunity to cover 2012 Best New Artist winner Bon Iver’s “Flume.”

 

For her Spotify Singles session, British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks recorded a reimagined version of her song “Softly,” giving it a maximalist flair with orchestral additions. She also covered 2021 Best New Artist nominee KAYTRANADA’s “You’re The One,” allowing her soulful, breathy vocals to flip the original dance track into an R&B jam. “Syd’s voice in ‘You’re The One’ always had this effortless beauty to it in my eyes, and I wanted to cover it to expose the romance and yearning behind the lyrics,” explained Arlo. “It was also an honor to be able to sing my new song ‘Softly’ too. This was a chance to highlight the beginning of a new and beautiful chapter in my career and celebrate being nominated for Best New Artist.”

 

Country phenom Jimmie Allen shares a new version of his debut single that propelled him to Nashville stardom: “Best Shot.” The singer also gives listeners a twangy, acoustic cover of “Un-break My Heart” from 1994 Best New Artist nominee Toni Braxton. “It’s super cool when you’re recognized for doing something you love,” shared Jimmie. “As for ‘Un-break My Heart’—I love the song; it’s one of my favorite songs ever. I’ve always wanted the opportunity to sing it, and this is my chance—hopefully Toni approves.” 

Fans of Jimmie can learn more about the Delaware native on our podcast Spotify: Mic Check. In the episode, Jimmie opens up about overcoming barriers, the influence of his family, and the evolution of country music.

 

Acclaimed artist Japanese Breakfast also recorded new songs for Spotify Singles. The Best New Artist nominee reimagined its hit “Be Sweet,” funking it up with a disco beat and call-and-response vocals. The group also covered Bon Iver’s track “Skinny Love,” giving it a folk-rock spin with orchestral additions. “We decided to record Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’ because it felt like a very surprising cover for Japanese Breakfast. It’s so moving and sparse,” said Michelle Zauner, lead singer for the band. “We felt we could add some interesting instrumentation to the track and celebrate our fellow labelmate.”

 

British chart-topper Glass Animals rerecorded its newest single, “I Don’t Want to Talk (I Just Want to Dance),” for Spotify Singles by incorporating a tinge of psychedelia into this new rendition. They also covered Lorde’s “Solar Power,” giving the mellow original a big, sunny blast of hand-clap-filled pop. “I chose ‘Solar Power’ because in a time when we were all stuck indoors a bit, this song made me feel like I was on a beach,” explained band frontman Dave Bayley. “We all needed a bit of that! It’s a stunning song, and then I just had a version of it in my head where it was faster with a gospel choir behind it . . . so . . . we made it!”

 

The final Best New Artist nominee releasing exclusive new tracks through Spotify Singles is Arooj Aftab. The Pakistani singer, composer, and producer reimagined her song “Baghon Main” with a stripped-down, twinkling version that highlights her hauntingly powerful vocals. She also covered 2020 Best New Artist nominee ROSALÍA’s “DI MI NOMBRE,” transforming the Spanish superstar’s single into a Qawwali-inspired version all its own. “I’ve always felt a very strong kinship to flamenco music, and recently having visited the south of Spain, even more undeniably so. It’s always been in my periphery to make something with that energy,” shared Arooj. “The opportunity to cover a previous Best New Artist nominee pointed me directly to ROSALÍA. And while it was a very ambitious choice, I had a great time versioning [‘DI MI NOMBRE’]!”

Arooj’s nomination marks the first time a Pakistani woman has been nominated for a GRAMMY award. The artist is also no stranger to Spotify: She was named the ambassador of Spotify’s EQUAL program in Pakistan for the month of March, which was amplified with a corresponding billboard in Times Square. To hear more from Arooj, check out her recent interview on Spotify: Mic Check. In the podcast episode, she opens up about her historic GRAMMY nomination and Pakistani culture.

 

Hear these Spotify Singles and more from this year’s Best New Artist nominees below. 

Celebrate the 2021 Best New Artist Nominees in the Latest Episode of ‘Spotify: For the Record’

March 11, 2021

Every year, Spotify goes all out to show our support for the rising stars nominated in the Best New Artist category for music’s biggest night: The Grammys. The breakout artists nominated in the category this year are Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Ingrid Andress, Noah Cyrus, Phoebe Bridgers, D Smoke, CHIKA, and KAYTRANADA.

In this week’s episode of our podcast, Spotify: For the Record, we explore the Best New Artist category with a few special guests. Listeners get to sit in on an intimate conversation between Noah Cyrus and her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. The 2021 nominee chats with the iconic country music singer-songwriter about what it means to be selected (Billy Ray was also nominated for the category in 1993), and she reveals some of her favorite advice that’s been passed down from father to daughter.

We also chat with Charles Holmes, cohost of The Ringer Music Show. The former Rolling Stone writer explains the history of the Best New Artist category and how these nominees—which formerly included the likes of The Beatles, Carpenters, Bon Iver, and Kacey Musgraves—often go on to make a name for themselves. 

Marian Dicus, Spotify’s Co-Head of Music, joins us to share how Spotify has supported this category for the last five years. From playlists to parties, our goal is to amplify the developing talent of those nominated for Best New Artist. This year, we are releasing a series of Spotify Singles from five of the nominees: Ingrid Andress, Noah Cyrus, Phoebe Bridgers, D Smoke, and CHIKA.

Gear up for Sunday’s award show by listening to the full episode, “Music’s Biggest Night: The Best New Artists.”

Spotify Celebrates the Best New Artists

February 8, 2019

Every year, a handful of musicians realize their dreams with a coveted nomination for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. The annual ceremony, now in its 61st year, also honors performers, albums, songs, and composers from across genres and the globe.

Spotify hosts an event each year focused on amplifying the voices of the breakout stars. Together, the eight Best New Artist nominees—Luke Combs, Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha, Jorja Smith, Greta Van Fleet, Chloe x Halle, H.E.R., and Margo Price—have enjoyed more than two billion streams on Spotify combined.  

Last night, we celebrated these nominees and their accomplishments at our annual Best New Artist party at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Six of the artists, including Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha, Jorja Smith, Chloe x Halle, H.E.R., and Margo Price, not only attended, but excited the crowd with electrifying performances of their hits. Throughout the night and in-between sets, Chicago-based DJ D-Nice also filled the museum with music.